How to get a 30 day visa extension in Koh Samui immigration office from Koh Phangan Thailand

A common problem for travellers and digital Nomads is running out of time on your Thai Visa. Upon entry to Thailand you can get a free 30 day arrival stamp. If you wish to extend your stay for an additional 30 days you can do so for a fee at a Thailand Immigration office.

I’ve been enjoying my stay on the island of Koh Phangan as there is a new growing digital Nomad and expat scene on the island, as well as many travellers wanting to extend their stay once they fall in love with the Thai islands.

I thought I’d put together a helpful post for those looking at extending your stay for an additional 30 days from the island of Koh Phangan.

The whole process was rather simple

It took only half a day of my time to extend my Thai tourist visa for an additional 30 days from the island of Koh Phangan, there is a little route and step by step guidance to follow, so I’ll take you through the process step by step.

Travelling from Haad Rin, Koh Phangan

Haad Rin is the most popular area on the island of Koh Phangan and this is where you find most of the resorts and where I grabbed my boat to Koh Samui.

There is no immigration office on the island of Koh Phangan, you’re required to travel over to the closest island to an immigration office, which is, Koh Samui immigration office, here you can extend your Thai tourist visa for an additional 30 days.

You can also extend your visa in other popular locations such as Bangkok or Chiang Mai. As Koh Samui is the easiest from Koh Phangan, I’ll walk you through this route.

From Haad Rin port you will find the queen transfer ferry, there are 4 services daily.

From Haad Rin Queen Ferry:

10:30am
13:00pm
16:00pm
18:30pm

The journey takes around 50 minutes to reach Buddha pier on the island of Koh Samui.

Return times to Haad Rin, Koh Phangan:

09:30
11:40
14:30
17:30

One way ticket is 200 Baht and you can buy your ticket from the Queen ferry ticket office, both located at the Pier itself.

It’s possible to travel from Koh Phangan, arrive in Koh Samui, get a taxi to the Koh Samui Immigration office and return in half of a day.

There is no need to stay in Koh Samui for the night unless you want to, of course they have a shopping mall and cinema, so you can blend this trip into a few days visit to Koh Samui, the choice is simply up to you.

When you reach Koh Samui from Koh Phangan

From Buddha port you are around 10-15 minute taxi ride away to the Koh Samui immigration office. You’re rather close from Budha pier.

The office has moved multiple times and can be confusing. The last move was in 2015 and this location is currently the latest and newest one.

New address in MAENAM area:

Amphoe Ko Samui, Chang Wat Surat Thani 84330, Thailand

From Soi 1, Maenam you will start to see the signs directing you to the new imigration office.

Most local drivers from Budha pier will be aware of the newlocation as it’s a popular route. just make sure you double check that it’s the new location not the old one. But just in case here is a map to help you with your journey:

Try and avoid the first few taxi people, they offered me a rate of 800 Baht one way!

Just around the corner, I found a Moped Taxi who offered 200-300 Baht Return which is not bad for a 30 minute round trip journey.

He also offered to wait for me at the immigration office until I was ready to ride me back, this made the journey go a lot smoother specially as you don’t have to waste time renting a moped, can get a guy to drive for you.

Offer to buy the driver lunch or a drink while he waits or even better grab his mobile number to call them when you’re ready to head back.

(Moped Taxi was 150 baht one way and included free music and scenic route, happy days!)

Once you’ve reached the Samui immigration office

Opening hours of Samui Immigration office:

Monday to Friday only from 08:30am to 16:30pm

It’s important to note that the Samui immigration office is closed on weekends and Thai public holidays.

This is also important to bear in mind that Mondays and Fridays are always busy to beat the demand from the weekend.

Many that travel from Koh Phangan also seem to grab the first boat out and can cause a busy rush in the morning.

For the quickest service, this is normally around Tuesdays-Thursdays after lunch around 15:00. It took me a total of 40 minutes from filling in my application to getting my passport back with a stamp.

Koh Samui immigration office is also closed for Lunch between 12:00pm-13:00pm.

The process can take between 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the demand and how busy it is, its really pot luck.

Getting your application in order before you arrive

You can speed up your Koh Samui immigration office visit by having all your documents in place.

(This is what the 30 day visa extention form looks like)

Also take into account that you should dress smart (No beach wear), be respectful and polite to all the staff at the office. Remember to take your shoes off before entering the building as well.

You will need:

1 x Passport, with 2 – passport page spots and 6 months validity.
1 x Standard size passport photo (you can print your own to save time or they can make the photo for you at the Koh Samui immigration office)
1 x Visa extension application form (They have printed out copies there for you)
1 x photocopy of your passport (They can photocopy for you at 10 Baht per paper)
1 x photocopy of your immigration card that you got on arrival
1 x photocopy of your Thai visa entry stamp with clear date.
1 x 1,900 Baht in cash

Photos and photocopying can be done on the location for a couple of US dollars. Wont break the bank but will take up some extra time.

Once you’ve paid, handed in your documents, you will be handed a number, then you will have to wait, depending on how many are in front of you this can take an hour to even two, three hours, it all depends on the demand.

You will want to keep an eye on the passport tray at the front of the office, this is where complete passports go when they are ready, your number is attached to the passport, when it’s ready you swap it over and you’re all done.

(Double check, make sure the dates are correct)

At this stage just double check that all your dates are in order and you’re all set to go.

Hopefully by now your Taxi is waiting for you, then you can return to Budha pier and grab the last boat back to Had Rin.

(Many great chill spots located next to the pier if you want to grab a bite to eat and look over the beach)

Just next to Budha pier are many great spots to grab a bite to eat and watch the sun set over the beach as you wait for your boat to pull in, who said getting a visa extension was difficult hey!

I’ve also put together a helful video with the same information

Thank you for reading my blog post and I hope you found it useful. Koh Phangan is a great place for digital Nomads to call a home base for a while, with an easy method of extending your 30 day entry visa for an additional 30 day visa extention you simply have nothing to lose, come on over and live on this lovely paradise island!

— Dave Brett

Travelling the world, one adventure at a time. Follow the UK's leading solo adventure travel blogger, Dave Brett on his travels around the world. An Adventure travel blog that features travel tips and advice, inspirational stories, travel videos and travel photography that will help you inspire and plan your next trip abroad.

Welcome to Travel Dave – UK Solo Adventure Blog

Travelling the world, one adventure at a time. Follow the UK's leading solo adventure travel blogger Dave Brett on his travels around the world. A globe-trotting adventure travel blog featuring travel tips and advice, exotic stories, travel videos and travel photography that will inspire your next trip abroad, and help you plan it too. To read more, please visit: About Travel Dave Page.